Muslim Women: Past and Present

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Throughout the ages, from the earliest days of Islam to contemporary times today, Muslim women have been and continue to be active leaders in their communities and countries across the world. This directory is a growing archive of leading Muslim women scholars, activists, writers, politicians, artists, religious and spiritual leaders, civil society leaders and more. Please contribute to this archive by suggesting Muslim women to be featured through our recommendation form.

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Benazir Bhutto

"As a woman leader, I thought I brought a different kind of leadership. I was interested in women's issues... as a woman I entered politics with an additional dimension, that of a mother."

—BBC:Women in Power Reveal What It Takes: Benazir Bhutto, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

“I was taught that ladies try to have good manners… [But] being nice should never be perceived as being weak. It is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of courtesy, manners, grace, a woman’s ability to make everyone in the room feel at home. And it should never be construed as weakness because it’s the men who get the biggest shock, when they construe that niceness in a woman as weakness."

—BBC:Women in Power Reveal What It Takes: Benazir Bhutto, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

photo of Benazir Bhutto Photo credit: Anjum Naveed /AP Images

Known For: First Female Prime Minister of Pakistan
Dates: Hijri 1371 – 1427 (AH)
Common Era 1953 – 2007 (CE)
Country: Pakistan

About

Benazir Bhutto was the first female leader of a Muslim country in modern history.  She was the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996.

Born to a politically influential and wealthy family, she was educated at Harvard and Oxford University. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was Prime Minister before being ousted by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and hanged in 1979.  In subsequent years, Benazir was imprisoned multiple times on charges of conspiring against the government. She then moved to Britain, organizing a movement against the military government from exile.  In 1986, anti-Zia protests spread across the country, and she was allowed back into Pakistan.  She was elected co-chairwoman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), along with her mother.  In 1988 she was elected Prime Minister.

In 1990, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed Benazir from office, citing corruption. In 1993, she was re-elected as Prime Minister, after which she focused on rural development and education. Three years later, in 1996, she was dismissed on corruption and mismanagement charges by then President Leghari.  Soon after that, she went into exile while her husband served a prison sentence on corruption charges.

In 2007 she returned to Pakistan after she reached an understanding with President Pervez Musharraf.  She was the leading opposition candidate in the Pakistani general election of 2008 when she was assassinated outside the city of Rawalpindi in December 2007.

Sources

Benazir Bhutto Biography: Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

Women in Power Reveal What It Takes: Benazir Bhutto, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan

More Information

Benazir Bhutto, Daughter of Destiny: An Autobiography (London: Simon & Schuster 1989; rpt. Harper Perennial, 2008).

Benazir Bhutto, Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West (New York: Harper Perennial, 2008)

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This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women chronologically by the Common Era century. We are actively building the archive of Muslim women leaders from the past, as well as from today, and we would welcome your recommendations of women to feature. Please complete our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.
This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women by their Country. We are actively building the archive of Muslim women leaders from the past, as well as from today, and we would welcome your recommendations of women to feature. Please complete our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.
This search feature will enable you to find Muslim women leaders by entering the keyword(s) of your choice. If you cannot find a particular woman that you are looking for, please let us know by completing our “Recommend Muslim Women” form and check the site again in the near future as we actively expand this section of the portal with your suggestions.